A Work In Progress
by Laura Thurston

Since having children, my definition of “a good day” has changed. I can still recall the days when each night I’d have everything crossed off my To-Do list. I was working full-time, but my time was my time. I could run errands in the afternoon or after work. The thought never crossed my mind that I would need to schedule outings around nap time or feeding time. Even the music I listened to was of my own choosing.

Now, when my husband gets home from work we exchange the usual “how was your day?” Before long, though, the conversation drifts to our three-year-old and “why can we touch black ants but not red ants?” or repeating to our two-year-old “yes, we heard you say ‘spoon’.”
To be honest, many times when I tell my husband about my day, it’s a summary that I haven’t put much thought into. These days are all mundane, routine, same thing day in and day out. There just isn’t really much new to report.

Maybe that’s because motherhood is a work in progress. I find more satisfaction in crossing things off my To-Do list now because it takes such an effort to get things done. Things that used to take a few minutes now take days. And for every one task I accomplish, three or four new ones pop up.

How I wish I could simply run to the store to get a gallon of milk. I long for a day when I can return something to a department store without also bringing a stroller and a sippy cup and a toy tractor. But such is the experience of most moms.
Although we span the globe, moms everywhere can relate to the feeling that our job is a work in progress. We never complete the task of caring for our children. We train them to be independent, but we’ll never fully cut the cord. From the day you first hold your child in your arms until the day you die – you are practicing the art of mothering. It will always be a work in progress.